Can a travel insurer change policy exclusions after purchase?

[ELep]

I am wondering if any of the Brains Trust here can help please? I purchased Gold Cruise cover with InsureanGo on 6/12/19 for a Sth Pac cruise departing 16/3/20. I opened up my policy docs tonight to do a bit of a re read and on the front they have added the following:

 

InsureandGo consider Covid-19 and known event globally on 31/1/20. I have purchased in December 2019. Does this however mean that InsureandGo will not cover us if we get ill from this virus and need medical whilst away, or we are quarantined and so lose wages due to not returning to work?   

 

I have emailed InsureandGo tonight but anticipate it may take a few days to hear back and I need to make a cancel and rebook decision by this Friday.

Thank you all for your thoughts.

 

[banzaii]

Do you have the original papers from when you paid for the policy?  I believe those are the conditions that apply to your travel.

 

I would be more concerned about the Aust Govt travel advice and how the insurer interprets those in regard to the policy.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I read it as you are covered as per your original policy, so covered for medical, travel delays etc just as you would be if Coronavirus didn't exist.

 

What you are not covered for is if you cancel because you fear catching the virus on your cruise, or because you changed your mind about that cruise.

[By The Bay]

11 hours ago, ELep said:

I am wondering if any of the Brains Trust here can help please? I purchased Gold Cruise cover with InsureanGo on 6/12/19 for a Sth Pac cruise departing 16/3/20. I opened up my policy docs tonight to do a bit of a re read and on the front they have added the following:

I had an InsureanGo policy taken out more than a year before travel. We were in Malaysia late February when our P&O cruise back to Oz from Singapore was cancelled. I rang them and they told me that their T&C's excluded epidemics and pandemics and that COVID-19 was a declared epidemic. No cover. My take is they are highlighting what is in their T&C's.

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 hours ago, By The Bay said:

I had an InsureanGo policy taken out more than a year before travel. We were in Malaysia late February when our P&O cruise back to Oz from Singapore was cancelled. I rang them and they told me that their T&C's excluded epidemics and pandemics and that COVID-19 was a declared epidemic. No cover. My take is they are highlighting what is in their T&C's.

Someone on a FB forum who took out an InsureAndGo policy before January 20th has been told that he is covered. Furthermore my policy, also taken out before that date, has no mention of pandemic in the whole document, and only one mention of epidemic which is in a section stating it's covered. However it may depend on what level of coverage you have. We chose Gold coverage.

[By The Bay]

6 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Someone on a FB forum who took out an InsureAndGo policy before January 20th has been told that he is covered. Furthermore my policy, also taken out before that date, has no mention of pandemic in the whole document, and only one mention of epidemic which is in a section stating it's covered. However it may depend on what level of coverage you have. We chose Gold coverage.

That would be right. We had basic. Pays to read the PDS.

Edited March 11, 2020 by By The Bay

[cruiselover53]

Be very careful listening to people who probably have no real legal experience

[possum52]

16 hours ago, ELep said:

I have emailed InsureandGo tonight but anticipate it may take a few days to hear back and I need to make a cancel and rebook decision by this Friday.

Thank you all for your thoughts.

 

I have emailed InsureandGo a number of times and always had fairly prompt relpies, usually the same day, so hopefully that will be the same for you.

 

Leigh

[The_Big_M]

Their explanation above confirms the situation that applies to your policy. They haven't and can't change the exemptions that applied when you purchased i.e. prior to 21 January 2020. They confirm that your previous policy does not cover change of mind (whatever the reason) cancellations.

[NSWP]

At the end of the day I believe the travel insurance companies are waiting for the cruise companies to cough up with the refunds rather than pay out themselves.

[Elorac123]

17 minutes ago, NSWP said:

At the end of the day I believe the travel insurance companies are waiting for the cruise companies to cough up with the refunds rather than pay out themselves.

How right you are and the punch line for me is that I only have 30 days from getting home to make the claim.

Cheers Carole

[NSWP]

18 minutes ago, Elorac123 said:

How right you are and the punch line for me is that I only have 30 days from getting home to make the claim.

Cheers Carole

Copied Carole, but did'nt Princess pay up re your Majestic cruise terminating in Freo, part refund, future credit, hotel and airfares? If that was the case there would be no need for an insurance claim, unless I am confused.  Good luck with it all.

[Elorac123]

3 hours ago, NSWP said:

Copied Carole, but did'nt Princess pay up re your Majestic cruise terminating in Freo, part refund, future credit, hotel and airfares? If that was the case there would be no need for an insurance claim, unless I am confused.  Good luck with it all.

Still waiting ,got the future cruise credit so far that’s all.

Hotel in Singapore refunded us day after cancelling 

Request gone in for

Perth Brisbane flight and transfer

Singapore Brisbane flight ,this may be questionable as ai was not able to change it to another flight and it cost me more to cancel it than the flight was worth.

So if Princess don’t consider that flight within 30 days I have no recourse.

Cheers Carole

Edited March 11, 2020 by Elorac123
Missed line

[ELep]

I have an email back from InsureandGo today saying that as I bought the policy in December I am covered for COVID-19 related claims. And the fact that a declaration of Pandemic now made does not change anything for our policy. I guess we shall just proceed.

[banzaii]

That should be some relief.

[Pushka]

I am with InsureandGo on their Annual Policy purchased last year. I know I'm covered for corona delays and cancellation costs and they have emailed me to confirm that. I can't find the link now but Choice recently did a study of all Travel insurance policies and InsureandGo was noted as covering epidemics and pandemics as long as it was purchased prior to Jan 29?

 

https://www.choice.com.au/travel/money/travel-insurance/articles/travel-insurance-pandemic#insurers

Edited March 12, 2020 by Pushka

[Pushka]

On 3/11/2020 at 12:33 PM, NSWP said:

At the end of the day I believe the travel insurance companies are waiting for the cruise companies to cough up with the refunds rather than pay out themselves.

That's always the case. Refunds noted first then penalties are what insurance covers.